Walking Tall: Walk-Behind Mowers

Manufacturers don’t deny that riding mowers have become a hot product because of the productivity advantages they can deliver to users. In fact, some mower producers think the biggest factor affecting the walk-behind mower category is the labor shortage. With unemployment rates low and employers scrambling for every available body, more contractors are looking at means of being more efficient.

"If I can put someone in a seat and have them cut twice as fast as someone who walks behind the mower, I have just solved some of my labor problems," remarked Randy Harris, marketing manager, Toro Landscape Contractor Equipment Group, Minneapolis, Minn. "This is a trend not only in the landscape industry, but all across the workplace. Fast food, factories - employers everywhere are looking to find quality employees and keep them productive."

Harris said that as a result of the labor shortage, manufacturers have seen more growth in their zero-turn riding units in particular. "We have seen an explosion in this category, and they are cutting into the growth of our walk-behind sales," he said.

"Labor is the single biggest issue that any landscape contractor has at this point," agreed John Cloutier, marketing communications manager, Exmark, Beatrice, Neb. "We have had many meetings with contractors, and they all claim they could double their business if they could hire and retain good, qualified employees.

"With that being said, the bottom line is these contractors cannot find the employees so they are simply trying to adapt and maximize what they can get out of each piece of machinery," Cloutier added.

THE EMPLOYEE EQUATION. A lack of labor translates into a need for increased productivity. "Zero-turn riding mowers offer landscape contractors increases in productivity and they’re putting a lot of downward price pressure on the walk-behind category," noted Ken Speece, product manager, Cub Cadet Commercial Products, Cleveland, Ohio. "And since most mower operators prefer to ride than walk, the need to retain employees is pushing many contractors toward small riding mowers."

"Contractors need to keep employees as productive and as happy as possible," added Cheri Stange, marketing communications manager, Scag Power Equipment, Mayville, Wis. "And we know that many of them prefer to ride, so we take that into consideration.

"However, walk behind mowers will always have a place in the landscape contractor’s shed," she continued. "There are certain areas that you cannot get into with a riding unit, and there are some contractors who swear by the walk-behind mower.

Dick Tegtmeier, president, Encore, Beatrice, Neb., agreed that the walk-behind market will not disappear. "But it will be on a considerably lower level than what we have seen in the past. The small Zs and their maneuverability is cutting right into the walk-behind market."

Fortunately for contractors, the intense competition among manufacturers of riding mowers means there is less price difference between walk-behind and riding mowers than ever before.

"When manufacturers have the pressure of keeping the margins low on the Zs, they are fast approaching the cost of the hydrostatic walk-behind mowers," Tegtmeier added. "The Zs will bite into the hydros first, and then they’ll hurt the belt drives and the mechanical drives."

LOOKING FORWARD. "I think every manufacturer is looking for a way to provide a lower cost piece of equipment than a rider," related Harris, in support of the future of walk-behind mowers. "The mid-sized, walk-behind mower will not go away simply because certain landscape designs require their use. You physically cannot get a riding unit into some of those designs.

"I think the biggest challenge for manufacturers is to look at what some of these firms are designing and to develop mowers that will fit the needs of the maintenance contractors who have to care for the property," he continued. "We are trying to spend more time getting to understand the landscape design side of the business, what they are seeing and how we can serve them."

Harris said that many landscape contractors are creating fantastic designs, but during the design phase they have forgotten how much money it costs to maintain the property. "They look at trying to develop a clean, manicured look within the budget constraints and realize that they may not have the equipment to do the job.

"That is especially true if they have replaced all of their walk behinds with riders, and now have small berm areas to cut," Harris added.

A solution, Harris said, is for contractors to look to manufacturers to produce more versatile equipment. "The trick is to develop a mower that allows the operator to move at a faster pace than a simple walk," he commented, adding that Toro has begun offerings mowers with an attached operator platform for walk-behind mowers. "That way he can cut faster and be more productive."

"You want the operator to stay fresh and comfortable throughout the day, and we can do that if he is not walking the entire time - just the times where walking is mandatory," Harris explained.

Other manufacturers focus on ergonomic considerations when developing products to maximize productivity and efficiency. "Ease of operation and comfort are both critical," Cloutier observed.

"If your employees are more comfortable over the long haul, they will feel better operating the equipment."

When the topic is walk-behind mower ergonomics, the discussion almost always focuses on the handlebars or grips. "Many of these contractors with labor problems are working with untrained labor," Cloutier related. "They have to get that new employee and running quickly, and the easiest way to do that is to make sure his equipment is simple to operate. That way the employee can be productive from day one."

"Improvements in operator controls will continue," Speece agreed. "But these are really minor improvements as opposed to true innovations. As an industry, ergonomics is probably where most of the research and development dollars are being spent on this particular product category.

"Ergonomic improvements also improve the appeal and competitiveness of walk-behind products," he added.

"Everyone in the industry is looking into ergonomics," Harris echoed. "I’m not sure just how much, if at all, manufacturers bring in independent ergonomic consultants, but we have relied on a study we did back in 1996 where we learned a lot working with ergonomics specialists regarding neutral positions of hands, arms and wrists," he said.

TALK IS VALUABLE. Communication is also an area where manufacturers say further developments will come. According to Cloutier, communication starts with the servicing dealer. "The dealer must communicate with both the manufacturer and the contractor. If there is a dealer is a particular town who has an existing relationship with that contractor, that is a good start.

"There really isn’t much product differentiation at the lower ends, so the dealer plays a major role in the contractor’s satisfaction," Clautier continued. "If that contractor has a good relationship with the dealer, chances are he will take the dealer’s recommendations to heart."

The problem, Clautier recognized, is that despite their best efforts, manufacturers lack consistency across the board with their dealer networks. "These dealers are all independent business people," he commented. "It is hard to structure what they will and will not do with a customer. But we try to give them as many support programs as possible to help them better serve their customers."

"Contractors shopping for a mower must rely on the dealer to help him be as productive as possible," Stange remarked. "The dealer is a conduit back to the manufacturer, and along with the distributor, brings a great deal to the relationship."

And contractors can help dealers better serve them by approaching the deal with value in mind rather than strictly shopping for price, Tegtmeier added. "So many people are talking price, price, price. That just kills the dealer’s margins, and in effect, the level of service he can offer," he related.

"Any manufacturer in America, regardless of the product he is making, that succumbs on price will have to sacrifice something to make up for that," Tegtmeier continued. "If he starts sacrificing service, the customers that bought his product for his service reputation will leave. If he sacrifices quality, other customers will leave. And, if the manufacturer just commits to the lower price, he will be the one that is gone."

Instead, Tegtmeier recommended asking dealers and manufacturers for value. "We understand that landscape professionals need to make their margins," he said. "Our landscape customer needs to understand that dealers and manufacturers have margins to meet as well. There has to be a level playing field or no one will survive.

"What is the use in a dealer paying $200 less for something just to have it break down three weeks later?" he asked.

Besides, the walk-behind mower category has become one with little product differentiation, Tegtmeier noted. "Put all the mowers in the industry side by side and you go over a field of grass, they will all do a fairly good job," he observed. "The difference comes down to people."

Tegtmeier said that he knows some salespeople or dealers who have represented different manufacturers over the years. "When they carry brand X, their customers buy brand X. When they switch to brand Y or Z, guess what their customers decide to buy?

"That doesn’t mean brand Y or Z is better," he noted. "It means that salesman’s customers are confident in his ability to provide the necessary service if they need it. In this sector, that is what is important."

Manufacturers say the dealer relationship is especially important in this market due to several factors, most notably:

• The cannibalization of the product sector by smaller, riding mowers at a slightly higher price point;



• Product improvements coming in small increments, rather than huge innovations;



• The low price point of walk-behind units means they are usually purchased by new contractors looking to get a low cost start in the business;



• The increased competition for employees means training is at a premium

"The dealer is the most important variable when purchasing a walk-behind mower," asserted Harris.

"You can buy the greatest piece of equipment, but if you don’t have the dealer support behind it then it’s difficult to stay productive in the field and the contractor will not be in business long."